As
time passed both sides were gradually reinforced. The 16th Division
was rushed from Thrace and the 2nd Division from Istanbul. Fierce
Anzac assaults on Ariburnu continued steadily and the fighting went
on until the end of May. Finally, from the end of May onwards it
turned into a French warfare. The clashes of Seddulbahir and Ariburnu
in June and July of 1915 were typical of stationary warfare. The
opposing forces were extremely close to each other, indeed as close
as eight meters on certain locations.

The Anafartalar Battles

General Hamilton, unable to achieve any success
on the Seddulbahir and Ariburnu fronts in the past five months decided
to open a third front in Anafartalar bay in order to encircle and
destroy the Turkish Army from the rear. He assigned this task to
the 9th British Corps.The aim was to immediately seize the Conkbayiri
and KocaCimen blocs, advance from there and take control of the
Straits. During this landing limited action was to be taken in order
to keep the Turkish forces in the Seddulbahir and Ariburnu regions
pinned down.British Army Corps began landing on the night of 6-7
August, to start the final attack against the Turkish troops aproximately
on the 9th of August. They landed to the south of the Buyukkemikli
and Kucukkemikli headlands. Due to the hot weather and exhaustion
of the British soldiers, 9th corps spend a day on the beach front
instead of moving to the target hills immediately. During this time
two Ottoman divisions were transferred to the front with Mustafa
Kemal as commander. One of these divisions pushed the 9th corps
into the sea while the other one prevented the Anzacs to reach to
the battle front.

The
12th Division attacked the 9th Corps front lines. The most critical
point was over for the Turks. The 9th Corps, under the fire of the
Turkish Forces, fell in great numbers on the beaches and were left
totally ineffective. Eventhough the 9th Corps, that was later reinforced,
attempted more flank attacks from Ismailoglu Hill to Anafartalar
and from Mt. Karakol to Ece Harbour and Tekke Hill, they could not
succeed.T he pinning-down and encircling action against the Northern
Group was halted but some sections did come within 25 meters of
the crest-line. The 9th Turkish Division, which had counter-attacked
for two days in order to alleviate this dangerous situation was
not able to achieve a success. Then, Liman Von Sanders, Commander
of the 5th Ottoman Army reinforced the 8th Division with two regiments
and put it under Mustafa Kemal's orders.Colonel Mustafa Kemal arrived
at the headquarters of the 8th Division, the night of 9-10th August
and ordered his soldiers to attack using only bayonets at down on
the 10th of August. The attack succeeded and even the British Brigade
Commander was among the dead. Upon the seizure of the land that
would guarantee the security of the defense line, the order to dig-in
and defend was given. The British operation that had been carried
out with strong attack groups in high hopes on Ariburnu and the
landings at Anafartalar were paralyzed and as in the other regions
were brought to a standstill.Thus the allied forces clearly saw
that no possibility remained either of breaking the Turkish defense
in the Dardanelles or of achieving any result in the Gallipoli Campaign,
above all of achieving their ambition of taking Istanbul. On 20th
December 1915 they ordered the evacuation of Ariburnu-Anafartalar
and on the 9th January 1916 Seddulbahir.Over 33000 allied and 86000
Turkish troops died in the eight-month Gallipoli campaign which
achieved none of its objectives. A British royal commission later
concluded that the operation had been ill-conceived. Gallipoli cost
8700 Australian dead and 19000 wounded. Large numbers of the dead
have no known grave. The story of Anzac has had an enduring effect
on the way Australians see themselves. Though the campaign was a
failure, Anzac has come to stand, in the words of the official historian,
C.E.W. Bean, "for reckless valour in a good cause, for enterprise,
recourcefulness, fidelity, comradeship and endurance".